Under Pops' baton, beat goes on for school band

Under Pops' baton, the beat goes onBand director takes a small group of students to the national stage in competition

Published 6:30 am, Sunday, January 16, 2005

Nature provided the clouds, gray and heavy with rain. But the thunder and lightning — the rumble of drums, the clash of cymbals — came from the young musicians of Booker T. Washington High's Eagles marching band. As they laughingly ambled to after-school practice, leaving in their wake discordant notes, random rhythms and the shrill wailing of triggered auto alarms, they seemed the very picture of carefree youth.

But that description would be misleading.

One needed to look no further than the somber-countenanced, diminutive man in the black hat at the procession's head to know these were kids on a serious mission. The man was band director Edwin Bigsby — part nurturing uncle, part stern taskmaster — whose 35 years at the school have earned him the affectionate nickname "Pops."

Only days remained before this weekend's U.S. Army All-American Bowl events in San Antonio, and Bigsby was determined his musicians, as the Army says, would be all they could be.

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'David and Goliath'

The feisty band, considered small with 96 members, traditionally has raked in honors. But Friday's third annual U.S. Army Band Competition, in which Washington High placed fourth in stiff competition with six of the nation's best high school bands, marked a competitive high. The band was also scheduled to perform live during a national football broadcast Saturday on NBC .

"Sometimes it seems like we're beating a bear back with a switch," Bigsby, 64, said of the coming contest. With its small numbers and limited facilities, the Eagles band seems a perpetual underdog.

With only one playing field, the band can rehearse its full routines only when the football team isn't practicing. Unlike students at some other schools, many Washington High band members must juggle their practice with part-time jobs.

"It's always a David-and-Goliath situation," Bigsby said, "and David at least had a slingshot. "

Bigsby never lets his musicians forget their precarious position. "We have so many strikes against us," he allows. But the winning difference, he tells them, is dedication, persistence and practice.

Band members didn't learn of their Army gig until school was about to recess for the holidays. When classes resumed, the band began five-day-a-week practice sessions that typically didn't end until after sunset.

Students credit Bigsby

During the past week, practice concentrated on the tricky choreography that accompanies the band's marching performances. "Think circle, not egg shape," he admonished his students through his megaphone. "Over here! Somebody started to curve too soon. That's why it buckled."

Over and over, through the afternoon and early evening, the musicians repeated their routine. Rarely had they played more than a few bars of I Like the Way You Move before they were interrupted by Bigsby.

Many at the school — administrators and students alike — say Bigsby is the secret to the band's excellence.

"He lives this 24 hours a day," said Washington High Principal F.E. Wesley. "This is his life."

A perceptive instructor, Brenham-born Bigsby always seems aware of his students' needs. "He always knows what you need to work on and when you need to work on it," said Michael Colbert, 16, a drummer.

"He is like a father," added Elvener Bilton, who played clarinet in Bigsby's band in the early 1980s and has returned as a volunteer with the drill team. "My father died when I was 8, and Pops always was an important member of my family. He was always there for me, and for the band, he's an inspiration to keep on going on."

A winning legacy

The payoff for Bigsby and his musicians is reflected in the shelves of trophies that crowd the Eagles' band room. Washington High's band won honors five times in four years for its performances in San Antonio's Fiesta Flambeau parade, a trophy for its 1998 appearance in Corpus Christi's Buccaneer Days Parade and recognition for performing in Galveston Mardi Gras parades.

Last year, the band was chosen to play at a Super Bowl pep rally at Reliant Stadium, and, during the 1992 Republican National Convention, the musicians were picked to perform at a private engagement at the home of then-Mayor Bob Lanier.

Music stays with students

"Many of those I've taught have stayed involved with music," Bigsby said.

Bigsby, who was introduced to music as a child, is proficient on saxophone and clarinet. Though enchanted by his idol, pioneer jazz saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, he early on eschewed a professional career to take up teaching.

After graduating from Prairie View A&M University, Bigsby came to Houston. He taught at a junior high school before moving to Washington High.

For Bigsby and his band members, music offers opportunity for creative expression. The rigor of practice builds discipline, and arguably clarity of thought.

"But first of all," he said, "is just the love of music. That's the appeal. That's what the discipline and practice bring. The beauty of it all. The joy of it all."